Racial incident at Scottburgh KFC condemned
The identity of the man could not be confirmed by police at the time of going to press. However, we will follow the story closely and report on any subsequent arrests and/or court appearances.
- A Scottburgh local who works abroad has been reported to the police after a racist rant was caught on video. The video, published on Facebook, shows a customer verbally attacking staff at KFC Scottburgh. During the incident last Friday evening, the man addressed the Indian manager as a ‘c*&lie.’ The incident will also be reported to the Human Rights Commission.
Mid South Coast Mail interviewed the eyewitness who filmed the incident. “I had placed my order when I heard this guy storm in and shout for the manager. He called out three times, his voice getting louder as he banged the counter top. This is when I started recording on my cell phone.” The eyewitness requested anonymity.
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In the video, the angry man claims that this is the third time in one week that there was a problem with his orders. His wife, in an interview with digital online media platform IndianSpice, said that her husband had been told to ‘f*ck off’ when he tried to complain about his order telephonically and that this caused him to lose his temper. When asked whether this had happened, KFC declined to comment, nor was the publication able to track down the man or his wife for comment.
During the confrontation at the store, the man was videoed asking the manager to repeat what he had said on the telephone before telling the manager, “Dis f*kin c*&lie kak”. He appears to threaten the manager, saying, “I know where to find you, you piece of sh*t”.
At one point in the video, the man is even seen attempting to jump over the counter after the manager said he would have him arrested.
As the manager walks away, the man turns to the other customers, telling them to check their meals because the franchise will ‘steal’ from them. This is when an Indian customer confronts the man, saying he objects to the use of the word ‘c*&lie’. In the video, the man is heard telling the customer, “don’t start with me” before walking out.
In its most recent annual report, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHCR) revealed that the highest number of complaints it received concerned racism. Its record reflected 450 racism complaints logged in 2013/2014, 643 in 2014/2015 and 705 in 2016/2017. The commission expressed its concern, a sentiment echoed by KFC Africa’s Public Affairs Director Thabisa Mkhwanazi in reaction to the incident.
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Mr Mkhwanazi described it as “disturbing… and… unacceptable.” He stated that counselling had been arranged for the team members of the affected branch. “At KFC, we take strong exception to any individuals who display acts of hate speech, abuse and violence in our restaurants,” he said. “A case has also been opened, and the authorities are investigating.”
At the time of going to press, police had not yet confirmed the identity of their suspect.
“This type of behaviour is unacceptable and vile, and we will not stand for it,” said The Allied Movement for Change councillor, Roy Bhoola. “The use of racial slurs towards both Indians and black Africans is an attempt to devalue these respective individuals. Racism has no place in this country.”
Cllr Bhoola’s sentiment echoed that of SAHRC spokesman Gail Smith who stressed the importance of rights knowledge during the commission’s report release last year. “If people do not understand their rights, then they won’t be able to come to the commission to report their complaints,” she explained.
Accordingly, Mid South Coast Mail has obtained some guidelines from lawyers on how to report incidents of racism.
Ulrich Roux, a Johannesburg attorney, previously discussed the topic with Mid South Coast Mail’s sister publication, Citizen. Mr Roux differentiated between hate speech and crimen injuria. “Hate speech is any speech that seeks to incite violence or division between cultures or groups, while crimen injuria refers to any derogatory remarks or insults aimed at specific persons, and causes emotional hardship,” he said.
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“Hate speech is reported with the Human Rights Commission. The commission seeks to mediate complaints and if that fails, cases are heard in the Equality Court. Racists may be punished with a fine or community service in this court,” added Caxton Local Media’s legal advisor Helene Eloff. “At the moment, racism is not yet a crime in South Africa. That is bound to change once the Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill is signed into law,” she added. “Meanwhile, racism that injures the victim’s right to dignity qualifies as crimen injuria. This is what happened in the Vicky Momberg case and she got jail time as a result.”
• The identity of the man could not be confirmed by police at the time of going to press. However, Mid South Coast Mail will follow the story closely and report on any subsequent arrests and/or court appearances.
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